Multiple touch display detection and arrangement

Abstract

Provided is a technique whereby, in an input device in which a plurality of touch panels are arranged so as to be adjacent to one another, even if an upper limit number of input operations on the touch panels as a whole is less than the total number of input operations, an input operation with respect to the touch panels as a whole can be determined according to frequencies of input operations. The input device detects contact positions corresponding to input operations detected at fixed time intervals on each of the touch panels arranged so as to be adjacent to one another, and outputs contact positions the number of which is less than the sum of the numbers of the input operations detectable during the fixed time interval on the respective touch panels. Based on the contact positions corresponding to the input operations detected at fixed time intervals, the input device specifies frequencies of the input operations with respect to the touch panels, and among the contact positions corresponding to the input operations detected at fixed time intervals, preferentially determines the contact position on the touch panel with a greater frequency of the input operation as a contact position to be output.

The invention claimed is: 
     
       1. An input device having a plurality of touch panels arranged so as to be adjacent to one another, to output a predetermined number of contact positions, among contact positions corresponding to input operations detected at fixed time intervals on each of the plurality of touch panels, the input device comprising:
 a specification unit that, based on contact positions corresponding to the input operations detected at fixed time intervals, specifies frequencies of the input operations with respect to the touch panels; and 
 a determination unit that, among the contact positions corresponding to the input operations detected at fixed time intervals, preferentially determines the contact position on the touch panel with a greater frequency of the input operation as a contact position to be output, 
 wherein the predetermined number is less than a sum of respective numbers of the contact positions of the input operations detectable during the fixed time interval on the respective touch panels. 
 
     
     
       2. The input device according to  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a storage unit configured to store the contact position to be output, 
 wherein, based on the contact positions to be output stored in the storage unit, as to each of the touch panels, the specification unit counts the number of contact positions to be output on the touch panel, and 
 the determination unit preferentially determines the contact position on the touch panel with a greater number of contact positions to be output, as the contact position to be output. 
 
     
     
       3. The input device according to  claim 1 , wherein,
 based on the contact positions corresponding to the input operations detected at fixed time intervals, as to each of the touch panels, the specification unit counts the number of contact positions on the touch panel, and 
 the determination unit preferentially determines the contact position on the touch panel with a greater number of contact positions, as the contact position to be output. 
 
     
     
       4. The input device according to  claim 1 , wherein, among the contact positions corresponding to the input operations detected during the fixed time interval, as to each of the touch panels, the determination unit determines the contact position to be output, according to the contact position corresponding to the input operation detected last. 
     
     
       5. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium with a control program stored thereon, the control program causing a processor of a computer of an input device that outputs a predetermined number of contact positions, among contact positions corresponding to input operations detected at fixed time intervals on each of a plurality of touch panels arranged so as to be adjacent to one another, to execute the steps of:
 based on contact positions corresponding to the input operations detected at fixed time intervals, specifying frequencies of the input operations with respect to the touch panels; and 
 among the contact positions corresponding to the input operations detected at fixed time intervals, preferentially determining the contact position on the touch panel with a greater frequency of the input operation as a contact position to be output, 
 wherein the predetermined number is less than a sum of respective numbers of the contact positions of the input operations detectable during the fixed time interval on the respective touch panels.